


In The Blood

by SpiritAlpha



Series: Original Stories [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood Magic, Gen, Hallucinations, Interspecies Friendship(s), Kidnapping, Mind Control, Nightmares, Original Fiction, Stalking, Torture, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Uncle-Niece Relationship, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-11 18:10:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5636830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritAlpha/pseuds/SpiritAlpha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jake and Caitlin Brody go to stay with their uncle after the death of their parents, Caitlin is soon targeted by an ancient being.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Caitlin looked up at the pub as the car drove closer. Next to her, her brother Jake stopped the car and turned to her. It had been a week since their parents had died overseas and, as they had no other family, Jake and Caitlin had come to live with their uncle, Garrett Brody. Even though Jake was old enough to look after both of them, their parents' will had said that they should stay with Garrett.

"We'll be ok, won't we?" she asked. He smiled and squeezed her hand in comfort.

"Yes, we will, Caitlin." he said. "We've got each other and Uncle Garrett. We'll be fine." Caitlin sighed and pulled her hand away from his, then was pulled into a hug by him. "Come on, Katie." he said. "We should get going."

She nodded and they got out of the car, opened the boot and started to take their belongings out.

"Jake! Caitlin!" They heard a familiar voice say. They turned towards the building and saw their uncle coming towards them.

"Uncle Garrett!" Caitlin ran to him and hugged him. Jake also moved forward but hung back, knowing that his sister needed to get her anxiety out of her system.

"Hi, Caitlin." said Garrett. Still hugging her, he looked up at his nephew. "Jake." He held an arm out. "Come here." Jake joined in the hug.

"Hey, Uncle Garrett." he said, putting an arm round Caitlin.

"Are you ok?" asked Garrett. Jake and Caitlin didn't answer. "Wait, no, that's a stupid question. Your parents have just died. You're not ok."

"We're coping." said Jake.

"Come on, I'll help you get your stuff in." said Garrett.

They walked back to the car and carried the siblings' belongings into the pub. It was a cosy little place that was on the edge of the village, the warmth inside contrasting with the cool October air outside. Garrett had closed the pub for the day to greet his nephew and niece, so all of the chairs were up on the tables and the glasses, plates and cutlery were all stacked neatly in the back storeroom. Behind the bar was a wooden door to a set of stairs leading up to the flat above. Garrett led them upstairs, where there was another door leading into a living room with a roaring fire going. To their left was a door to the kitchen, and to their right, either side of the fireplace, were two doors, one leading to Garrett's bedroom and bathroom and the other leading to two guest bedrooms and bathroom.

"I'll let you get settled." said Garrett. "You know where your rooms are." They nodded. They had been here every time their parents had travelled abroad. "I'll be in the kitchen."

He headed into the kitchen whilst Jake and Caitlin went to their separate rooms and unpacked. It was strange being there in the circumstances. Usually when they had come here, they had done so knowing that their parents were coming back, but now... Caitlin sat down on her bed and cried.

"Katie?" She heard Jake saying from the doorway. He came and sat down next to her, putting his arm round her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"I miss Mum and Dad." she sobbed.

"Me too." he said. "But we're ok now, Katie. We're ok."

Neither of them knew how wrong he was.

* * *

After unpacking, Garrett managed to persuade them to go down into town and take a look round the area, since they would now be living there.

"Stay together." he had told them. "Be back here by 5."

That was how Jake and Caitlin ended up wandering around the little town. It was a small enough town that everyone knew everything about everyone, so the majority of the people they came across knew that they were Garrett Brody's nephew and niece.

"Uncle Garrett seems to be quite popular." said Caitlin, quietly. Jake nodded in agreement. It was certainly true that everyone they encountered had a positive thing to say about their uncle.

However, despite the friendliness of the town, the two of them noticed a mysterious atmosphere in the air. It told them that something was going on in this town and everyone was aware of it. They shivered.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days were spent working in the pub and getting to know the townspeople. Caitlin's observation that Garrett was popular in the town was made evident by the pub goers. They chatted cheerily to Garrett, Jake and Caitlin, and the latter two gradually relaxed and became more comfortable.

Then two weeks after they arrived, Caitlin started having nightmares.

She had always had them, ever since she was a little girl. Their parents hadn't known what to do about it, leaving Jake to help his sister out. He would make hot chocolate for her, read to her, sing quietly to her, anything to help her get back to sleep. When the nightmares got too intense, he would put a mattress in her room and stay with her during the night, which would comfort her, knowing that he was there. When Caitlin went to bed during their second week there, the nightmares came back.

* * *

_Caitlin was standing in a dark underground cave. It was freezing cold, the kind of coolness that made you feel uncomfortable._

_"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone there?"_

_There was no answer, but she knew that someone else was there._

_"Hello, Caitlin." a deep male voice said. She spun round to see who was there but couldn't see anyone. "Caitlin." the voice whispered, echoing through the cave. "I want you...I need you..."_

_"Who's there?" Caitlin asked, her voice shaking with fear._

_"Come to me, Caitlin..."_

_"Who are you?!" The man laughed._

_"You'll find out who I am, little one. You have something I need, and I will get it one way or another."_

_"What do you want?"_

_A shiver went down her spine as she sensed that there was someone behind her. A pair of arms wrapped round her chest and she was pulled back against the person who was in the cave with her. She tried to scream but no sound came out of her mouth._

_"You." he whispered in her ear. "I want you, Caitlin. You will help me survive."_

_Caitlin tried to break out of his grip but he was too strong...much stronger than a normal person._

_"Let me go."_

_"I can't do that, Caitlin. You will give me what I need, or else I will have to force you." His breath was now on her neck. "One more piece of information for you to remember, little one. Do not tell anyone about this dream, understand?"_

_"Why?" she asked._

_"They will not believe you." He released his grip on her and stepped back. When she turned round, however, there was no one there. "Remember, Caitlin. Tell no one. Not your brother. Not your uncle. No one."_

_"Who are you?" she asked, looking round. "WHO ARE YOU?"_

_"Go to sleep now, Caitlin."_

_"No! No!" Caitlin called out before she fell unconscious._

* * *

 Caitlin woke up and quickly turned on her bedside lamp. She was relieved to see that there was no one else in the room.

_Tell no one._

The words from the man in her nightmare echoed in her mind. She shook her head.

 _I can tell Jake and Uncle Garrett._ she thought. _They'll believe me. It's just my subconscious trying to scare me._

"Everything's going to be ok." she whispered to herself. "Everything is going to be ok."

 _Do you honestly believe that, Caitlin?_ the man's voice asked.

"Yes." she replied, unsure of why she was answering a voice in her head.

 _I'll change that._ he replied.

She got up and crept to Jake's room, where she quietly opened the door.

"Jake?" she whispered. "Are you awake?" Jake turned over in bed and turned on the bedside light.

"Katie?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare." she said. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course."

Jake moved over in bed so that he was up against the wall and laid on top of the duvet, pulling a blanket on top of him. He pulled the duvet back and Caitlin climbed in. He made sure that she was comfy, turned off the light and put his arm round her and she curled up against him.

"Night, Jake."

"Night, Katie."

Caitlin fell asleep easily in the company of her brother and soon forgot about the nightmare. Lightning flashed outside the room and illuminated the figure of a man, who stood there watching them sleep. He quietly walked over to the bed and gently stroked Caitlin's head.

"Sleep now, Caitlin." he whispered, smiling.

Then he stepped back and vanished.

* * *

When Caitlin woke up the next day, the memory of the nightmare had faded so that she had completely forgotten it but it still remained in her mind.

"Morning, Katie." said Jake, smiling. "Sleep well?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Well, get out of bed. I need to change."

Caitlin laughed and playfully hit him, then got out of bed and went back to her own room. She stopped when she saw a note on the bed. She hesitated before walking over and picking it up.

_Tell no one._

She gasped. It wasn't her handwriting, nor was it Jake or Garrett's.

 _So that man was real._ she thought. _Who is he? What does he want?_ Caitlin was scared, but she had comfort in the fact that she had her brother and uncle. _It will be ok. It's going to be ok._

She changed then headed to the kitchen, where Garrett was preparing breakfast - pancakes, as usual. Jake looked up as she came in and a concerned look came onto his face.

"Are you ok?" he quietly asked her, as she sat down next to him.

"I'm fine." she replied, smiling.

"Morning, Katie!" Garrett said, grinning. He ruffled her hair playfully. "Jake said you had a bad night last night." He put a plate of pancakes down in front of both of them. "Nothing a good mouthful of pancakes can't fix!" She laughed and started to eat.

 _Tell no one._ She heard the man's voice saying inside her head.

"Katie?" Jake asked, quietly. She looked over at him and saw her brother with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jake." she replied.

"There's a market on today." said Garrett. "Why don't you two go down and take a look at it?" He looked at Caitlin. "It'll take your mind off your nightmare."

"Ok." she replied, nodding.

She didn't notice the man watching her from the corner of her room.

* * *

Jake and Caitlin walked into the town and saw stalls of food covering the pavements. The atmosphere had lightened up since they had arrived here two weeks ago, but Caitlin still had the feeling that something was wrong. Despite what Jake and Garrett said about it, the nightmare still lingered in her mind. The man from her nightmare was still whispering her name in her mind and the fear built up inside her.

 _Don’t be scared, Caitlin._ he told her. _Jake will know that something is wrong. We don’t want that, do we?_ Caitlin looked round and gasped when she saw a man staring at her from an alleyway. _Hello, Caitlin._

“Katie?” Caitlin turned back to Jake, who was looking at her in concern. “What’s wrong?”

 _Don’t tell him, Caitlin._ the man said, warningly.

“Oh, err, nothing, nothing.” She lied, knowing that Jake wouldn’t buy her lies. Sure enough, he looked at her disbelievingly.

"Caitlin..." he said, his voice turning more worried. She opened her mouth to tell him but the words didn't come out. She closed it and, over Jake's shoulder, saw the man from her nightmare.

 _Lie._ he told her.

"I...I guess I'm just feeling down...about Mum and Dad." she said. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. Jake continued to stare at her, concerned, knowing that there was something more, then he nodded.

"Ok." he said. He put his arm round her shoulders but his grip was tight, protecting her from whatever was bothering her. "Ok. Come on, Katie."


	3. Chapter 3

Ever since that day in the marketplace, both Caitlin and Jake had been stressed. Caitlin because the man from her nightmares - whose name she now knew was Damon - had continued to torment her, and Jake because he knew that something was up with his little sister but, as she wasn't talking, didn't know what.

Every day, Jake watched her carefully. She would act normally, then she would suddenly stare off into the distance with a scared look on her face. Sometimes she'd talk to whoever she was looking at. Every night he heard her crying out in her sleep, until eventually he had pulled a mattress into her room and slept next to her. This would calm her down but not always. Every time he asked her what was wrong, she would shake her head and stay silent.

He was worried about her.

* * *

Caitlin knew that Jake was worrying, but she couldn't tell him why. Every time she tried, Damon would stop her from talking. Every night, he gave her nightmares. She felt better knowing that Jake was in the room with her, but she wished that there was some way she could tell him.

"Please let me tell him." she'd whisper to Damon. "He'll work it out eventually."

"No, he won't, Caitlin." Damon would reply. "He won't believe you."

"You don't know my brother."

"Oh, I do." Damon replied. "I'm in your head and in his. I know how protective he is of you, and him not knowing about me is increasing his anxiety, which in turn is increasing yours. This is exactly what I want."

"No, please..." she said. "Please...stop..."

"I can't stop, Caitlin."

"STOP!"

"Katie?"

Caitlin looked up and saw Jake standing at her bedroom door, looking at her anxiously.

"Jake..." she said, glad to take her attention away from Damon. She held out her arms and Jake came over to her, sat down and gave her a hug. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough." he said. "Who were you talking to?" She hesitated, seeing Damon over his shoulder.

"No one." she lied. Jake sighed.

"Caitlin, don't lie to me. You were talking to someone, who was it?" He pulled back and gently held her head in his hands. "Tell me." She continued to hesitate, her gaze going from Jake to Damon then back to Jake.

"I...I can't." she said.

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Is someone threatening you?" he asked, his tone becoming more firm. She moved so that he was blocking her view of Damon and nodded. "Who's threatening you?" Her hesitation continued, looking between the two men in front of her before taking a deep breath and focusing on her brother.

"Him." she said.

"Who?"

"Damon." She felt better having got it out and buried her head in Jake's chest.

"Who's Damon?" Jake asked.

"He's..." Caitlin paused. "I don't know."

"Katie..."

"Really! I don't know!" Jake moved her head so that he was looking into her eyes.

"Is he here now?" he asked. She nodded. "Where?"

"Behind you." she whispered. Jake turned and looked round, keeping his sister close. 

"I can't see anyone." he said, turning back to her. "Are you sure he's there?"

"Yes." she exclaimed, starting to cry.

"Hey, hey." he said, hugging her. "I believe you, Caitlin. I believe you." 

* * *

Damon watched from the shadows as the siblings hugged. Despite his warnings to her, he wasn't surprised that Caitlin had told her brother about him. Being inside both of their heads had showed him how close they both were and knew that Jake would do anything to protect her. As he watched Jake comfort her, he decided to mess with her.

" _Caitlin_." he whispered. Her head whipped up and she glanced around the room, panicking. He had made himself invisible to her to cause her more pain. " _Caitlin_..." Her panicking increased.

"Katie?" asked Jake. "Katie, what's wrong?"

"He's here!" she exclaimed. "He's here, Jake!" 

"Where is he, Katie?"

"I don't know! I can't see him!"

" _Go to sleep, Caitlin_." Damon said. Caitlin fell unconscious and he smiled.

"Katie?" asked Jake, anxiously. Damon decided to show himself.

 "You can't protect her, Jake." he said. Jake turned and tensed when he saw him, holding Caitlin close.

"You're Damon." he said. Damon nodded.

"I am."

"What do you want with my sister?"

"Caitlin has something I need." He moved closer to the bed and Jake held onto Caitlin more firmly.

"What is it?" Jake asked. 

"You'll work it out sooner or later." Damon replied. "But I will get it whether she cooperates or not."

"Go to hell." said Jake, angrily. Damon laughed.

"I already have."


	4. Chapter 4

After the encounter with Damon, Jake was now more aware of what was going on with Caitlin. He understood that when she was staring into thin air, she was staring at Damon. She stuck close to him and wouldn't go anywhere on her own. The nights were the worst. Even when Jake stayed with her, Damon would be plaguing her with nightmares. The siblings guessed that he was doing it to torment them both. Damon would scare Caitlin, which would scare Jake, which would fuel Damon's energy.

Damon had continued to make good on his promise that it would be hard for them to tell anyone, including Garrett. Everytime they tried to tell their uncle, the subject would suddenly change. Jake could tell that this was bothering Caitlin and reassured her that they would find a way to tell Garrett.

As it turned out, they didn't have to worry about it for too long.

* * *

Garrett was working in the pub one morning when the door opened and a tall, dark-haired man in a smart black suit came in. Garrett immediately had a bad feeling about him and, behind the cover of the bar, gripped the handle of a knife.

"Good morning." he said, politely. "What can I get you?"

"I'm looking for Caitlin." said the man.

"May I ask who's looking?" asked Garrett.

"My name is Damon. She knows who I am."

"I'll call her." Garrett turned, still keeping an eye on Damon. "Caitlin! Can you come up here a minute?" He heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the cellar.

"Uncle Garrett?" asked Caitlin. "What's..." She gasped and Garrett saw her staring at Damon, terrified. "JAKE!" Jake came running and stopped next to his sister.

"Katie?" he asked. "What's wrong?" He answered his own question as he caught sight of Damon. He stood protectively in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just making sure that Caitlin is behaving." replied Damon, with a smile.

"I told you to leave her alone!" exclaimed Jake.

"Leave her alone?" asked Garrett, looking from Jake to Damon then back to Jake. His nephew was glaring at Damon and Caitlin was standing behind her brother, scared. "Can someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"Caitlin has something I need." said Damon.

"And that is...?"

"Something necessary." said Damon. "She will give it to me. I'll make sure of it."

The door to the pub opened again and a group of men walked in. Garrett glared at them and moved closer to Jake and Caitlin. He knew what the men were and what was coming.

"Let Caitlin come with us and we will leave you alone." said Damon.

"You're not going anywhere near my niece." said Garrett, moving out from behind the bar. Jake and Caitlin followed him. "Now get out of my pub!"

"Give me Caitlin." Damon repeated, stepping forward.

"Get out of my pub." Garrett said again, also stepping forward. The two men stared at each other.

"If you don't give me Caitlin, I will have to take her myself." said Damon. Garrett slowly stepped back and glared at him.

"You really should have gotten out of my pub." he said. Garrett pulled the knife out of his belt and stabbed Damon in the chest, then kicked him backwards. He quickly grabbed a shotgun that hung on the wall, loaded it and aimed it. "Stay away from Caitlin." Damon, holding his hand over the stab wound, laughed.

"She has something I need, and I _will_ get it."

"I don't have anything." said Caitlin.

"Yes, you do, Caitlin." Damon moved  towards her and Garrett and Jake moved closer to her. "Your blood." He opened his mouth and fangs protruded from his gums.

"Oh shit!" Garrett exclaimed. Caitlin cried out in fear and Jake held her closer. "Jake, Caitlin, get behind the bar. Now!" The siblings ran behind the bar and stayed there, watching. "I had my suspicions about you when you first walked in here, Damon. I was right. Now, you and your men can walk out of here right now and no one will need to get hurt. Alright?"

"I suggest you hand over Caitlin right now, Mr Brody." said Damon. "We outnumber you. You can't stop us."

"You think so?"

Garrett fired at Damon and his men, knowing as he did so that it wouldn't keep them down. He continued firing until he ran out of ammunition then turned the gun round so that he was holding the barrel and used the handle as a club to hit them over the head with. He hit and kicked the men, keeping them away from the bar. A man got past him and ran towards the bar. Garrett quickly spun round and threw his knife at the man, hitting him in the heart.

"I'm going to say this one more time." he said. "Stay _away_ from Caitlin!" Damon smiled and looked at Caitlin, who was hugging Jake.

"I'll be back for you, Caitlin." Damon told her.

"Get out." said Garrett. Damon and his men walked out of the pub. Garrett followed them with the shotgun, and made sure they were all out before looking the door and breathing a sigh of relief. He looked back over to Jake and Caitlin. They had come out from behind the bar; Caitlin was crying and Jake was comforting her. Garrett laid the shotgun on a table and walked over to them. "Hey. Are you two alright?" Caitlin shook her head and buried her head in her brother's chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We tried to, Uncle Garrett." said Jake. "But Damon kept making the subject change. He said you wouldn't believe us."

"Caitlin." said Garrett. "Look at me." Still hanging onto Jake, Caitlin lifted her head, her eyes red with tears, and looked at him. "This is important. Have you been having nightmares?"

"Yes." she said.

"Have you been hallucinating Damon?"

"Yes."

"Insomnia? Scared to be on your own?"

"Yes. How..."

"Oh God, no." Garrett said to himself. "This can't be happening again."

"This has happened before?" asked Jake. "Is there a way to help Katie? Can we get rid of Damon?"

"Yes, this has happened before." said Garrett. "Do either of you know the history of this town?" They shook their heads. "Ok. Time for me to give you a history lesson."

* * *

Jake and Caitlin sat down on the sofa in the living room whilst Garrett sat down in an armchair opposite them, a wooden box sitting on the table between them.

"This town has had a history of disappearances." Garrett explained. "Specifically, supernatural disappearances. Various families who had lived here reported strange behaviour in their children, specifically their daughters. Nightmares, hallucinations, insomnia, sleepwalking, like what's been happening to you, Caitlin. The girls would talk of a man following them, Damon, and no one would believe them, until eventually he would...take them." He paused and saw that his nephew and niece understood the implication of that last part.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" asked Jake.

"You had just lost your parents. I didn't want to worry you, and besides the last recorded incident with him was back in the 1800s. We thought that he had gone."

"We?"

"The townspeople. Every adult in this town knows the stories of what happened."

"Is there any way to stop him?" asked Caitlin.

"No one has ever managed to defeat him." replied Garrett. "But I have a way for the two of you to keep yourselves safe." He nodded to the box in front of him.

"What is it?" asked Caitlin.

"Open it." said Garrett. Jake opened the box and saw a stack of lucky charms, wooden stakes and knives.

"What is all this?" asked Jake.

"This is something your parents left with me to give to the two of you in case they ever died." said Garrett. "They were vampire slayers. I'm one, and so are the two of you." Jake and Caitlin paused, taking it in.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That explains how you managed to fight off Damon and his men earlier." said Jake.

"His coven." Garrett corrected him. "And yes, that's how. It's strange. In all of the cases, he's never appeared to the parental or guardian figure. Perhaps he knew of my occupation and decided to challenge me." He paused. "The point is, I can teach you how to defend yourselves."

"Teach us how to kill vampires?" asked Caitlin.

"Yes."

"And we can stop him hurting me, right?" Garrett thought for a moment.

"There are some people you should meet." he said.


End file.
